


stay ahead (don't get dead, stay alive)

by singingkogs



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/F, F/M, I have no friends to beta, M/M, No Beta, haha - Freeform, im lonely
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:16:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29025600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singingkogs/pseuds/singingkogs
Summary: A Newsies Fic!Idea from Welcome Home son by Jack_Francis_Kelly!---Jack Kelly's mother was dead. His father was in jail. To be honest? Jack was perfectly fine with his father staying there forever.But he doesn't.AKAJack's father is released from prison and goes to find his son. It goes poorly.Title from Drive by The Lightning ThiefCross-Posted on Wattpad @singingkogs
Relationships: Crutchie & David Jacobs, Crutchie & Jack Kelly, David Jacobs & Jack Kelly, David Jacobs & Les Jacobs, David Jacobs & Sarah Jacobs, David Jacobs/Jack Kelly, Jack Kelly & The Newsies, Jack Kelly & Warden Snyder, Les Jacobs & Jack Kelly, Racetrack Higgins & David Jacobs, Racetrack Higgins & Jack Kelly, Romeo/Specs (Newsies), Sarah Jacobs & Jack Kelly, Sarah Jacobs/Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Spot Conlon & Racetrack Higgins, Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. context and whatnot

This a combination of a ton of Newsies material, mostly 92sies and Broadway Newsies.

\---

okie doke here we go

this is some background/context to help y'all figure out what the hell is going on in this story.

so im taking a lot of this information off of the wiki page, go read that if you're still confused after this because im bad at explaining things haha. I'll also be adding my own elements and whatnot.

so Jack (Francis at the time) had a little brother named Michael. Their mother died when Jack was 7 and Mikey was almost 4. their family wasn't well off and they got even more tight on money when their mother died, as she was a seamstress. their father was already short-tempered and got even worse when his wife died, causing him to abuse the kids. when they were 9 and 6, their father got arrested for many counts of theft and also attempted murder. due to now being pretty much orphaned, the boys were sent to the refuge and also abused by Snyder there. during their escape, Michael was crushed by a wagon, leaving Jack traumatized. he joined the newsies, changing his name to help disconnect himself from his past. he quickly became a favorite at the lodging house, known for being one of the best at selling newspapers. 

when he was 12, Charlie and Anthony joined the newsies, gaining the names Crutchie and Racetrack. The trio quickly became close friends. when Jack was 13, he became leader of the newsies, being the oldest at the lodging house at that point. 

the only thing he had from his family was a worn photo of them at coney island when him and Michael were 2 and 6.

only Crutchie and Race knew of his past and of his brother, until Davey joined them, and he was informed as well.

Davey and Jack are dating.

Katherine and Sarah (David's sister) are also dating.

Race is dating Spot Conlon

Race is trans (ftm)

The first chapter takes place in the winter after the strike, which happened in July.


	2. enlightenment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> newsies are sneaky
> 
> chapter title from Starry the musical

Jack Kelly was one of the best newsboys to ever grace the Lodging House. Everyone agreed on that, no matter how they acted to his face. They didn't care about his past, he obviously didn't want to talk about it. All they know is that he became a newsie pretty early on in life, and that Jack wasn't his real name.

They had seen his scars, he didn't try hiding those. They knew that Snyder was to blame for most of them, but the scars shaped like a broken bottle on his shoulder? That wasn't Snyder's doing. They didn't ask, though.

The newsboys knew that Crutchie, Race, and Davey knew what happened to him, but they didn't pry, they respected Jack too much. He was the one who slept up on the roof, even in the winter, so that they could each have a bed. He was the one who woke them all up before the bell rang so that they wouldn't have to hurry down all disheveled and such. He was the one who took care of them when they were sick, using his own money to buy them food and blankets. He was the one who risked starving because he spent all his money on the other boys. He took time out of his day to teach the younger kids how to read and write. Some of them had wondered why he cared for them so much, treating all of them like little siblings. 

Once, when Jack was out late selling extra papers to help Crutchie, who was sick, Buttons found a worn photograph on the floor. It was wrinkled, slightly faded with time. There were four people in the photograph, two adults and two young boys. In the background, she could make out a few fair rides.

She couldn't figure out whose photograph it was, though, and went around every newsie. Each one said it wasn't theirs, leaving Buttons stuck trying to find the owner. She had gone to everyone in the Lodging House, except for Crutchie, who was napping, and Davey, who had gone home, and Racer, who was out with Jack.

Ohh.

Race was an only child and his parents died when he was 11, shortly after he was kicked out for being trans. Crutchie had polio when he was really young, so it couldn't be him in the photo. 

That only left Jack.

By the time she arrived at this conclusion, everyone else had, too. They stayed quiet, watching as she put the photo on the roof, tucking it under their leader's extra shirt to keep it safe from the early winter wind.

They never mentioned the photo, but had seen it peeking out of his back pocket a few times since then.

\---

Jack was acting off recently. Race, Crutchie, and Davey knew why, but no one else did. Everyone had noticed, though, which was why the three boys had decided to tell the rest of the newsies. They sold their papers as quickly as they could, making sure Jack stayed out later by getting Medda to distract him.

They gathered everyone at the Lodging House, including Katherine, Les, and Sarah, the serious expressions on their faces telling the rest of the newsies that this was something they needed to listen to. David was going to be the one telling the tale, Crutchie stationed by the window to keep a lookout for their leader, and Racer sitting by Davey, ready to correct anything he gets wrong.

David cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone and silencing the room. He sat on one of the bottom bunks, with all the newsies sat in a circle around him, like he was about to start reading them a picture book. The tall boy took a deep breath before starting the tale.

"Okay, so I'm hoping most of you have suspicions 'bout what I'm gonna tell you," he started, "it's Jack's past. I'm telling you guys without his permission, so please don't let him know we told you. We're worried about him, and we know you guys are, too.

"Jack was born as Francis Sullivan, and he had a little brother, Michael, who was three and a half years younger than him. They never had a lot of money, but his whole family was really close." Davey paused here, and Race took over for him.

"When 'e was seven, 'is ma died. They got even tighter on cash, and 'is dad got angrier and angrier," Race continued, "and 'e started hitting 'em. you guys have seen 'is scars." David took over once again.

"When Jack was 9 and Michael was 6, their father was arrested for attempted murder and multiple counts of theft. The boys were sent to the refuge, where Jack took all the hits and for his brother.

"They escaped after a month, barely, and Jack was pretty roughed up. They were running down the road, when a wagon came careening around the corner. It crushed Michael, killing him instantly. Medda took Jack in for a bit, that's when he started goin' by Jack, and then he joined the newsies. He still blames himself for Michael's death," David ended, "it doesn't help that whenever he gets into the refuge again, Snyder makes it his sworn duty to remind him of it while he beats him."

The newsies sat in silence, shocked. They were astounded that Jack still managed to be happy and always there for them, even after what he'd been through. One of the newsies spoke up, asking, "but why is Jack acting weird now, after all this time?"

"'Is pa was given 8 years, and 'is sentence is gonna be over soon, if it ain't already." Racer answered, a frown on his face.

The silence afterwards didn't last long though, as Crutchie informed them that Jack was coming back, soon followed by everyone scattering and pounding footsteps coming up the stairs. The door burst open and Jack, covered in paint, struck a pose, pouting dramatically when the only person that acknowledged him was his boyfriend.

The two snuggled together in Jack's penthouse that night, keeping each other warm. Jack had told Davey he should've gone home, but Davey refused, wanting to make sure his idiot boyfriend didn't get hypothermia. They lay there, under the stars, blissfully unaware of the chaos that was happening just a few blocks away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow I wrote 1000 words thats a lot for me and nothing for everyone else ahah you might get another chapter today but I'm definitely gonna update Chasing Love so go check that out if you like spiderman


	3. the bottle drops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elijah Sullivan is back and looking for his sons. Jack has the newsboys to help him.
> 
> Title from Amélie the musical

As Jack and David slept, a fight was happening three blocks away. 

The ones fighting were Elijah Sullivan and a bar-goer. The drunken men had argued over some trivial thing, ending up in black eyes and split lips and an unconscious man on the floor. Elijah Sullivan walked away, headed to the next bar. He was going to find Francis and Michael.

\---

_It was a cold night, but the apartment was warm with laughter. A father held his youngest son while his wife and the eldest set the table. Each parent had a favorite, but they all loved spending time with each other._

_That was one of their last nights that weren't filled with worry._

_Elizabeth Sullivan fell ill that night and never recovered. Neither did her family. The boys were only 4 and 7 when they were left without a mother. Their father became a drunkard, an abuser. They all yearned for the days before tragedy had struck._

_\---_

When the sun rose over the city, the two boys woke up. They quickly got ready and rushed down to wake the other newsies before the bell rang. 

Jack noticed that everyone was acting a little strangely, but he ignored it in lieu of today being the warmest day in a while. It was also his busiest day in a while, with all the newsies coming up and bothering him about this-and-that. Not that he hated it or anything, it was just that Elmer didn't usually come up to him to tell him about a rat he saw carrying some bread five months ago.

Once he had helped everyone who needed it, he and Davey both bought their own papes and were off on their merry way together. Les was selling with Crutchie today, so David was completely free to sell with his boyfriend. 

The two of them stopped at a busy corner, which was Jack's usual selling spot when he didn't feel like running around with a load of papes. 

By mid afternoon, they had almost run out of papes and were getting ready to head back, planning on selling the rest on their way home. The boys were talking about nonsense things, occasionally pausing to try and get someone to buy the news, when they saw someone stumble out of a bar out of the corner of their eyes. 

They were slightly confused, as normally people weren't this drunk before dinner, but didn't think much of it until they saw his face. 

It was Jack's father, Elijah Sullivan.

\---

The lovers had raced home, lucky that the man didn't notice or recognize Jack in his drunken state. They played it off as if everything was normal, and the newsies believed them, for the most part. Jack once again noted that something was off, and he asked David about it that night, before the taller boy went back to his family.

"They're not acting weird, what are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talkin' about, Dave, you'se not stupid. What'd you do?"

"Well, I may have told them about your, er, your father.."

A sigh was heard from the other boy, who was not surprised by this at all. He knew David was worried about him, so he sort of suspected this kind of thing would happen. "Okay. I guess I betta' tell 'em I know they know."

"Haha, yeah, I guess. Bye, Jackie."

"Bye, Davey. Love ya."

\---

Now that the newsies were informed that Jack knew about what they were told, they didn't try to keep their worrying and distracting him a secret. Well, maybe they did, but they were doing a terrible job at it.

Everything was fine, well, as fine as it could be when you have a troop of children following you around all the time, until he mentioned in passing that he had seen his father the other day. It all went to shit from there. 

Suddenly the newsies were all volunteering to pair up with him all the time (although he still only paired with Race, Crutchie, Davey, and sometimes Les), and he was always bombarded with questions every time he returned to the lodging house. Eventually, the photo of him and his family got passed around and everyone knew what his dad looked like and to find a new spot if they ever saw him nearby. 

Luckily, most of the newsies weren't treating him with sympathy. He would hate that. They just try to distract him from whatever hurricane is going through his head. For the most part, it worked, and when it didn't, he just went back to the house and sat with Crutchie. Racetrack, or Davey.

\---

Elijah Sullivan had been looking for his sons for a month now. He had managed to get a job at a canning factory, and had rented a small apartment. He barely got by, wasting most of his money on alcohol and always showing up to work late, hungover and beat up from whatever nonsense he got in a fight over the night before. 

Every night, like clockwork, he would visit a different bar and show everyone there an old photo of his sons. The boys were posing together, the eldest's arm slung around the youngest's shoulder. The photo had been taken just before their mother's death. 

His boys would be ten years older now, 17 and 14, but they had to have some semblance to their younger selves, or at least, he hoped. 

The man acted like he cared for them, always playing up the fact that he was "falsely accused." Sure, he may have actually wanted them back, but for the most part, he just wanted something to control again. 

Sadly, everyone in the bar always fell for his charade, racking their brains, trying to find a memory where they might have seen one of the boys. Most of the time it wouldn't work, they wouldn't remember anything, and Sullivan would drown himself in alcohol. Everyone would have realized their mistake by morning, some sporting bruises from him causing a ruckus.

He still hadn't found anything about his sons, until one night. As usual, he passed around the photo of them, this time expecting nothing, really. The last person to see the image, though, thought he recognized Francis. 

The old man had a large cigar in his mouth, and it wiggled back and forth as he spoke. He pointed a shaky finger at the eldest boy, saying something about "the corner of fifth and Maine" before he left. Sullivan smiled, pleased that he was one step closer to finding his boys. From afar, he seemed genuinely happy, but if you looked closer, there was something sinister in his smile.

\---

He wasn't able to get to that corner until late after work a few days later. When he arrived, there was nothing but a few people passing by, on their way home. He asked one of them, a tall man with a burly mustache and thin physique, if he had seen the boy in the photograph.

"Ah, yeah, that taller one's the newsboy that sells here sometimes. Nice fella, often with a crippled kid, a tall boy, or some kid with a cigar in his mouth all the time."

"You've seen him? You've seen Francis? What about the younger boy, Michael?"

"Oh, his name isn't Francis, and I haven't seen that younger boy before."

"Well what's his name, then?" Sullivan was getting frustrated with the taller man.

"That there is the famous "leader of the newsboys," Jack Kelly. They did a strike a couple months ago. Did real well for a bunch of kids. It's in the papers somewhere, I'm sure you could find an old copy." And with that, the man walked away, leaving Sullivan standing there, deep in thought.

_Leader of the newsboys, huh? Francis, or should he say "Jack Kelly" was getting real popular. Fame might be getting to his head. That could be a problem._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost stopped at "That there is the famous "leader of the newsboys," Jack Kelly." because it would have been 1,234 words haha


End file.
